STORY ARCHIVE

Extinction - Western Swamp Tortoise

The Western Swamp Tortoise is the most endangered reptile in Australia. It would be extinct if it were not for an intensive conservation program and on-going human intervention.

It's a wonderful story of what humans can do to rescue endangered species. But are we playing God when we intervene in nature? What's the point of saving an animal when it appears to be doomed anyway?

TRANSCRIPT

Narration: This is the Western Swamp tortoise. It's in the unenviable position of being the most critically endangered reptile in Australia. It would be extinct now if it wasn't for a huge ongoing conservation effort, but just what does it take to save a species? Some years ago a captive breeding programme was set up based at Perth Zoo in an attempt to bring these animals back from the brink.

Back in 1982 there were only 30 of these animals left in the world. Today thanks to a captive breeding program they are up to around 500 individuals.

Paul Willis: So this is an adult size?

Dean Burford: Yes it could go bigger than that but as far as sexually mature, it is an adult. They are have low fertility and are slow breeders, but the programme is now successfully raising babies. Hatchling success rate is around 90%. They are monitored closely in their early stages, and most of them will be released into two protected swamp reserves in the Perth area.

Narration: But it seems this species will never survive outside these special reserves, it is essentially on life support. Extinction is a natural part of evolution. The western swamp tortoise has been around for 20 million years, and perhaps its time was up.

So what causes an animal to go extinct naturally? Well there are several factors that make it more likely to happen. If the animal has a very restricted habitat, if it has a very specific diet, if it takes a long time to reach sexual maturity or if it reproduces very slowly, then it's a natural candidate for extinction, and the western swamp tortoise fits this bill perfectly.

And due to human activity, the rate of extinction at the moment is many, many times the natural levels. So is it worth even trying to save the Western Swamp tortoise? Andrew Burbidge, director of threatened species at conservation and land management thinks so.

Paul Willis: You spent 1.6 million dollars over 10 years on one tortoise, do you really think that's money well spent?

Andrew Burbidge: I don't think actually that the amount of money that we spent on the western swamp tortoise is a large amount of money, compare it to the sorts of things, the money we spend on a kilometre of road or one piece of defence equipment, it just doesn't compare. The tortoises are so fragile they couldn't survive in the wild. Predators like feral cats and foxes, would soon wipe them out and most of their natural swamp habitat has been lost to development.

Narration: They need help from people like Dr Gerald Kuchling, he monitors the animals living in the special reserves. Today he and his wife are releasing a female tortoise back into the reserve. To discover whether this tortoise is carrying eggs she undergoes an ultra sound before being released.

Gerald Kuchling: I expect her to start laying, producing the eggs this season.

Paul Willis: So she can become a mummy for the first time this year?

Gerald Kuchling: Yes this is right and she's now 12 years old

Narration: Electrified fox proof fences keep the main predators out. Gerald believes the Western Swamp tortoise is actually a flagship species for the whole swamp ecosystem. By preserving it, we can actually protect an entire habitat.

Gerald Kuchling: And this is where we will release this animal

Narration: After all this effort over the past 10 years, there are actually only about 130 tortoises, living in the two reserves.

The Western Swamp Tortoise illustrates what a huge undertaking it is to save a species. In Australia there are currently about 240 native animals, and over 1000 native plants that are threatened with extinction. Are we prepared to go the distance and try to save them all?